


Designated Uber Driver

by DashingHeights



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Feels good man, Fluff, Gabe is kind of a power bottom, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, and adorable, can you tell who my favorite it, cheesy chapter titles, good vibes all around, height difference is kinky, intended pun is intended, major cheese, may add more tags later, mindless cuteness, no real plot, no that wasn't a typo, smut cums later, sweet babies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-12
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-06-09 04:57:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15259902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DashingHeights/pseuds/DashingHeights
Summary: Let me preface this by saying I don’t know the first thing about Uber. Never driven for it, never even used it, though I do have the app. There’s some bullshit in here about how the justice system works, too. Feel free to ignore that and all the other plot holes for the sake of cute. I just thought this was a funny and fun idea. Also, “Samshine” is the CUTEST fucking nickname for Sam and it needs to be canon.Just some Sabriel purely for the soul, with crystal clear Destiel. Something to note: Sam is 18, Gabe is 23, Dean is 22, and Cas is 20. Also, Bennyzar is a crack ship for me and my friend, okay? It’s wonderful. Hot vampire-angel sex and sexy accents. Imagine the biting kink.





	1. The First Encounter

**Author's Note:**

> Chapters 1 through 3 are complete, and 4 is well on its way. I don't know if I'll have a regular update schedule or anything, but I would like to stay ahead in writing, so chapter 2 may or may not be uploaded before I finishing writing chapter 4. We'll see. Enjoy my feel-good fic that I half wrote to make myself feel better about life in general~

The shabby house loomed above Sam like a ghost with too much brick. The door was eggshell white and chipping paint, the concrete steps clearly eroding away, and the thin, metal railing appeared barely attached anymore. By normal standards, this was definitely a fixer-upper, but it was what Dean had agreed to lease with him, so he could finally move out of their dad’s house. It wasn’t a shithole, Sam had seen enough of those to know. By his personal standards, this was almost a Hyatt. Sad, but true.

His GPA had been perfect all throughout grade school. He’d been top of his graduating high school class, valedictorian and awarded the superlative “most likely to succeed”. Roll it up into one freakishly tall, long-haired meat suit and you could only come to one conclusion: Sam was smart and ambitious. So, when he decided to take a gap year, his friends, his family, and all of their dogs let out a collective gasp. He was eighteen, sue him for not knowing exactly what he wanted to do with his life yet. Dean was twenty-two now and was just barely even thinking about going back to school. The manager at the auto shop he worked at had suggested he may be eligible for a major promotion, if only he had a little more education.

Dean jarred him from his thoughts by slamming the car trunk, making to haul Sam’s bags up to the house. The older Winchester had moved in a few months ago to make sure the place was at least functional. He’d also insisted on paying for the majority of the rent, ever the protective and smothering older brother. Sam had just flown in a few hours ago, jetlagged and working on auto-pilot as he collected the rest of his junk and moved it inside.

The inside was surprisingly decent, especially compared to the exterior. He was sure Dean had something to do with that. They got him setup in the upstairs bedroom, the only room on the upper floor besides a bathroom crammed right next to it. You couldn’t even have both doors open at the same time. He glanced around his new room, unsurprised to find it spotless and meticulously furnished. Dean spoiled him. He smiled to his older brother as he sat down on the bed, “Well.. home sweet home, right?”

Dean laughed as he set the last few boxes down, “Yeah, something like that. Listen, I managed to get you a car, too. It’s not fancy, just an old, used Jeep Cherokee. I’m going to pick it up on my way home from work tomorrow.” Sam stared at him a moment, then shook his head, “Dean, you didn’t have to do that..”

“Yeah, I did,” Dean insisted, “because you’re my brother, and you’ll need a way to get around and you are not driving Baby.” It was Sam’s turn to laugh, a snorted chuckle as he glanced out the window at the Chevy Impala below. Dean had been obsessively possessive about that car since Dad gave it to him for his sixteenth birthday. Anyone who knew Dean Winchester pitied the fool who dared to disrespect his Baby. By that logic, yeah, Sam needed his own vehicle. He felt kind of excited about having his own car now, especially one Dean had picked out for him.

They spent the afternoon unpacking and making Sam comfortable. It was well into the night when Dean finally admitted he was tired and went downstairs to bed. Sam could barely think anymore, the travel making his mind weary. He collapsed onto fresh sheets, inhaling deeply the scent of Tide and moth balls. The twin bed barely fit him, his feet hanging off the end, but it was glorious in that moment. He shivered as his heavy eyes closed and his mind sunk into unconsciousness.

* * *

 

It only took about a month for Dean to truly appreciate the fact that Sam had his own car. The kid drove _everywhere_ , for no reason except to drive. Every time he got home, and Dean asked where he’d been, he listed off several places he passed by and one or two that he actually stopped at, but nowhere that seemed to be a real destination. He was surprised he didn’t have friends yet, as much as he wasn’t at the house. In truth, Sam was restless. Without school, a job, or friends to keep his day occupied, he got antsy. Driving helped work that off, especially if he went somewhere he’d never been before.

They were sitting on the couch watching a rerun of Star Trek when Sam huffed. Dean glanced over at him, “What?” Sam shook his head, “It’s been a month and I still don’t have a job, Dean. No place has even called me back, and when I try to call first they only tell me to wait. I have nothing to do all day.” Dean raised an eyebrow, lowering his phone that he’d been staring at for the past half hour, “That’s why you drive so much, huh? Why don’t you do that, then? They have those apps where you agree to drive people around for money.” Sam gave him a look, “What, like Uber?” Dean just shrugged, turning back to his phone.

Sam stared at the TV for a moment before pulling out his own phone and Googling how that would even work. After some time, he decided to at least download the app and give it a look. It seemed fairly straight forward. Everything was taken care of through Uber and all Sam had to do was upgrade to a driver’s account. There was no obligation to actually drive anyone, but you could see when people requested a ride and when someone else claimed it. “This is stupid, Dean,” he said petulantly, “this isn’t a real job. I can’t pay rent with this.”

“Sam, I just want you to be happy, okay?” Dean sighed in exasperation, “I’ll take whatever you want to give me for rent, even if it’s just a dollar a month.” Sam glared at him, “That’s cheap.”

“That’s the point,” Dean chastised him. Sam shrunk down in his seat and shook his head, still staring at his phone even though the screen was black now. He supposed he could give it a try.

* * *

 

There were a lot more people needing rides than Sam thought there would be. He supposed they did live relatively close to a community college, so that made sense. The driving did ease his nerves, and most people tipped him well. He’d spoken with a few of the other Uber drivers around him via the app. They were easy to coordinate pickups with, and everyone kind of had their own section that they stuck to unless a favor was needed.

There was one house in particular, however, that Sam noticed people really didn’t want to go to unless they had to. He’d asked about it once or twice, but all anybody ever said was “the guy talks too much, he’s too loud and obnoxious”. Sam thought it was weird that they would care. They were getting paid, after all. On a lazy Tuesday, after a particularly long time of everyone ignoring the little blip that signified a request from that address, Sam decided to claim it under his section. Nobody argued.

As he pulled up the details, he noted the pickup and destination, and the best way to get there. After a brief explanation to Dean, he got up and headed out to his car. It didn’t take him long to reach the house, unassuming and small, though he could tell this was definitely a nicer part of town. His passenger was sitting on the front steps, feet tapping, but it looked more coordinated than if he were just waiting impatiently. Like he had a beat in his head. Sam watched him get up and shove his phone in his front pocket, then enthusiastically bound over to the Cherokee and climb inside.

Even just sitting, Sam could tell he was much shorter than him. Which, okay, most people were, but this guy was _a lot_ shorter. He smiled over at Sam as he buckled his seat belt (which, like, no one ever did, so that was noteworthy), “Hello there, Gigantor. Name’s Gabriel.” Sam was a little caught off guard by the nickname and the boisterous tone in this Gabriel’s voice, but he was still friendly, “Uh, hey. I’m Sam.”

“Samsquatch. Got it,” Gabriel nodded with his hands in his lap, looking around the car curiously. Sam raised an eyebrow but didn’t bother to correct him. He pulled away from the curb, watching his phone for the GPS. Gabriel was quiet for a few minutes, as most people were. Small talk was the most he got out of anybody, even on a good day. But after a few turns, Gabriel leaned over to turn on the radio, playing with the knobs and not really looking for anything in particular. Sam side eyed him but again kept his mouth shut. The guy seemed harmless enough, maybe he just didn’t like the silence.

“So, you’re new,” Sam almost jumped when Gabriel spoke again. He laughed lightly, “Yeah, I.. I just started two weeks ago. Moved here to be with my brother.” His other passengers would have just nodded and ignored that tidbit of information, but Sam was quickly realizing that Gabriel was not going to be like his other passengers. “Oh! Welcome to California! I grew up here,” he grinned at Sam, his body turned to face him instead of forward. He had one knee pulled up under him on the seat, his other leg propped over that foot and swinging lazily.

“Thanks,” Sam chuckled, feeling oddly warm at hearing that. He made another turn, then cleared his throat, “So, uh.. why the courthouse, if you don’t mind me asking?” He got the feeling Gabriel would appreciate the conversation instead of a silent ride. He was rewarded with an irritated groan, “My dumbass brother has a trial that I have to be questioned about.” Sam looked briefly alarmed, which pulled a smirk from Gabriel, “Don’t worry. It’s just for car theft. But he’s trying to say I helped him, which I definitely did not because I hate leaving my house, even for _necessary_ things.”

“Why is he trying to pull you into it?” Sam raised an eyebrow. Gabriel shrugged, throwing his hands up, “I have no idea! If he was going to incriminate anyone, I’d think he’d pick Michael!” Sam shook his head, deciding not to ask who that was. He did, however, decide on another topic of conversation, “I didn’t see a car in your driveway. Somebody borrowing it?” He was, by extension, asking why Gabriel called an Uber. The shorter man shook his head, “I don’t have a car. I don’t even have a license.” Sam’s eyebrows shot up into his hair, “But you live alone? Why wouldn’t you have a vehicle?”

“I don’t have the desire to drive,” Gabriel blinked seriously, as if that were obvious and a normal, everyday occurrence, “Plus, it cuts car insurance, payments, and gas out of my monthly finances. But driving is an unfortunate necessity in this day and age, so I use Uber a lot.” Sam had noticed that. Of all the requests that popped up on a daily, Gabriel’s address was the most frequent. They reached the courthouse soon enough, and Sam was oddly sad to see Gabriel get out of the car, “Well, thanks for the ride, Sammich! Maybe you’ll come get me after this is over.” He waved, then turned and disappeared inside the building. Sam watched after him, then shook his head and drove away.

As he got through the front door of home, he smelled bacon sizzling. Sam wandered into the kitchen to see Dean making BLTs for lunch. He sat down at the small, wooden table. Dean greeted him as he turned around, “Hey, Sammy! That was quick, where’d you have to go?”

“Just to the courthouse,” Sam absentmindedly thanked his brother for the sandwich set down in front of him. As he was browsing Facebook, the notification that he’d been paid for the Uber ride popped up. He dropped his phone, and Dean jumped. “What?” his brother looked alarmed. Sam shook his head, “Just.. holy shit.. that guy tipped me thirty dollars for driving him ten minutes. On top of the base fee.” They stared at each other for a moment, and then Dean laughed, “Well, maybe he thought you were hot, I don’t know.” Sam furrowed his brow quizzically. That hadn’t appeared to be the case, but maybe. It wouldn’t make sense otherwise, because then the other Uber drivers had to be completely stupid not to fight over this guy’s address. He mused quietly to himself as he ate.

* * *

 

“I swear that the evidence that I shall give, shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth…”

Gabriel was seated at the witness stand, squirming under the scrutinizing gaze of the judge and jury. “One more time,” the prosecutor grated, “you’re absolutely sure that you had nothing to do with the actions of Mister Balthazar Novak?”

“I didn’t!” Gabriel hung his head back in exasperation, “I hate leaving my house, why would I just be out and about?” He understood their reservations about believing him, being home alone meant no one could confirm his alibi, but this was getting ridiculous. Balthazar had a shit eating grin on his face as he sat at a desk in the front of the court. In the silence that filled after Gabriel’s insistence, Balthazar coughed, “Somebody’s angry.”

“You stole a car, Balthazar!” Gabriel pointed at him accusingly, “to chase down a piece of ass!”

“He gave me his number through the squad car window,” Balthazar beamed, “it’s true love.” The judge scolded both of them, and Gabriel folded his arms petulantly as he shrunk in his seat, “That still doesn’t have anything to do with me.” Balthazar shrugged, “You gave me the address of the café I met him in.” A collective silence fell over the room.

After the ruling and their dad paying bale (over the phone, mind you), Balthazar was seated outside on the courthouse steps with Gabriel on his right. He was leaned back too casually, texting with a stupid grin on his face. The sun was setting. Gabriel glared at him, “Why do you guys always do this shit? You know I don’t like leaving my house.”

“You need fresh air sometimes,” Balthazar answered idly, still texting. Gabriel shoved his shoulder, “so you drag me to court? You’re insufferable!” Balthazar laughed, shoving back, “You mean concerned and loving!”

“Love me less!” Gabriel buried his face against his knees, grumbling irritably. After a moment, he got out his phone and put in another Uber request, earning an eyeroll form Balthazar, “You can hitch a ride with me and Michael, you know.” Gabriel sneered at him, “No. I don’t want to be in the same space with you anymore today.” Balthazar made a face like he was offended, but then just shrugged and got up, “fine. But don’t be such a stranger, okay?” He went back inside to find Michael, leaving Gabriel to mope by himself.

It didn’t take long for Sam to arrive at the courthouse once more, munching on a bag of gummy bears stuffed in his cupholder. He’d never been a huge fan of candy, but he liked gummies. Gabriel looked frazzled as he sat in the passenger’s seat, arms crossed, and face screwed up in a pout. “So, how’d it go?” Sam had to fight the amused smile he wanted to wear. Gabriel scoffed, “as expected, I guess. Balthazar was convicted, Dad paid bale, Michael’s driving him home..”

“And you were proven innocent?” Sam offered him a handful of gummy bears, which seemed to brighten Gabriel’s eyes just a little. He nodded, rolling his eyes and shoving multiple bears in his mouth at once, “Of course. Balthazar admitted he’d made it up. Said I needed “fresh air”.” He used air quotes. Sam gave him a disbelieving frown, “And that’s his idea of getting you fresh air?”

“You should meet the rest of my family..” Gabriel grumbled, staring out the window, “This isn’t the weirdest thing any of them have done.” Sam wasn’t sure he really wanted to, by the sound of that. Not that he would be, any time soon. Or at all. Jesus, he didn’t even really know this guy, but there was such an air of familiarity and comfort between them. He was easy to talk to. By the time they’d reached Gabriel’s house, he’d eaten over half of Sam’s gummy bears and woven a pretty tall tale about his younger sister, Anna, once using his eBay account to buy farts in jars (“That is not something you want to have to call technical support about”).

Sam was laughing harder than he had in a while, Gabriel grinning at him happily. They’d been stopped for several minutes now, but the conversation had still been ongoing. Now, Gabriel looked up at his house and sighed, “Well, thanks again. I’m glad I at least had _some_ decent company today.”

“Hey, no problem,” Sam smiled, “and, uh.. th-thanks for that tip, man..” Gabriel waved his wrist and shrugged, as if it were an ordinary amount of money to just give someone, “Don’t mention it. You aren’t a dick like the other Uber drivers. I don’t know why they hate me so much..” Sam really didn’t understand it either, at this point. Yeah, Gabriel was a little overbearing, but he wasn’t a bad guy. Sam hadn’t noticed he’d gotten out of the car until he was bidding him good night and heading back up to his house. As he headed home himself, he debated telling Dean about Gabriel. He might think it was weird that the guy was so friendly right off the bat, but it felt natural to Sam.

He was smiling when he went inside, and Dean immediately noticed. He raised an eyebrow, “Same guy?” Sam sat down next to him and nodded, “Same guy.” Dean shoved a handful of potato chips in his mouth and nodded back, “Good. Maybe he’ll give you a ridiculous tip again.” Sam rolled his eyes, but when the notification popped up on his phone to confirm that, he just sighed.


	2. Put a Little Love in Your... Car?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little stuck at the very end of chapter 4, but I figured I would go ahead and post chapter 2, anyway. I'm glad so many people are enjoying this so far! Your kudos and comments are very much appreciated, it makes me happy to share this with you all!

After experiencing Gabriel, Sam’s other passengers seemed so boring and lifeless. Their interactions were short and born out of politeness, never genuinely friendly or chatty. Sam did his best to stay available for whenever Gabriel needed a ride somewhere, but sometimes he would already be on his way to get someone else. Currently, he hadn’t seen him for a whole week! He never voiced any of this to Dean, of course, fearing his brother would think he was clingy or desperate. It was ridiculous to have a favorite Uber customer, right?

Sam was just settling into dinner with Dean one night when his phone buzzed, and he looked down to see an Uber request from Gabriel’s address. He accepted it maybe a little too quickly, getting up from the table and grabbing his jacket. “Hey!” Dean looked bewildered, “what the hell, man? Let someone else get it!” Sam could barely get a word out to his brother before he was basically sprinting out to his car and peeling out on their street.

He pulled up to Gabriel’s house and waited in anticipation as he came down the walkway. He looked done up, hair slicked back and a dress shirt lazily unbuttoned at the very top. As he got in the car, Sam was hit with a sweet, musty cologne that was just the right amount of subtle and enticing. “Dude,” Sam couldn’t help but blanch, “you look amazing.” Gabriel shot him a nervous glance, “You think?” He obsessively smoothed down his hair, staring at his feet, “my brother set me up on a date with this girl named Kali.. He offered to drive me, but I really didn’t want to deal with his awful fucking pep talks.”

Sam laughed, “Then I’m honored to be your chauffeur tonight.” Gabriel flashed him a brilliant, thankful smile. As they arrived at a high-end restaurant, Sam gave a low whistle, “Wow.. this your idea?” At Gabriel’s nod, Sam shook his head, “Bit too fancy for my taste, but I guess you kind of have a good impression to make, huh?”

“Trust me, if I knew what this girl was okay with..” Gabriel scoffed, “I’d much rather sit in a Dairy Queen or a Taco Bell.”

“How romantic,” Sam teased, earning himself a pointed look. Gabriel took a sharp, deep breath, fiddling with the car door handle. Sam clicked his tongue and tapped his shoulder. Gabriel briefly stiffened, then turned to face Sam curiously. “Here, let me just-..” Sam bit his lip as he reached over and mussed Gabriel’s hair just a little. He smoothed the shirt over his shoulders, then sat back and gazed him over. Gabriel’s eyelids briefly fluttered, then he looked at Sam warily, “… Well?”

Sam just drank him in a moment, admiring the curve of his lips, the golden brass of his eyes, that sweet, adorable head tilt. He finally nodded, “Lookin’ good. Go knock her socks off.” Gabriel turned back to the restaurant and nodded with conviction, hesitating just a moment more before finally getting out. He gave Sam one last smile before pushing his fingers back through his hair and squaring his shoulders as he headed inside.

Sam didn’t actually want to go home now. He wanted to wait right there for Gabriel to come out and tell him how it all went. But that was probably really weird, so he decided to drive around town for a bit instead. It took about an hour before the Uber request came in, and Sam might have sped to get back to the restaurant. Gabriel was standing out on the curb, shoulders slumped and head down, hands in his pockets. He wouldn’t look at Sam as he slowly climbed up into the car, but once the door was closed and a thick silence developed between them, the shorter man let out a shuddering breath, “She, uh.. she said it’d probably be better if we didn’t do this again..”

“Are you serious?” Sam was truly shocked, which made Gabriel peer over at him with a furrowed brow. His cheeks were wet. Sam shook his head, pulling away from the curb and feeling irritated now, “She’s stupid.”

“We just weren’t a good match,” Gabriel corrected him softly, “Although.. she didn’t have to be so harsh in her words..” Sam’s jaw clenched. He really didn’t want to know what she said because he was positive he would just get angrier. The drive back to Gabriel’s house was silent, and it weighed heavily in Sam’s stomach. Gabriel was curled up against the door with his hands rested under his head, sniffling quietly. It was very slowly breaking Sam’s heart.

He flipped on the radio to have some quiet white noise, but as a relatively slow pop song came on, he recognized it. Sam wasn’t bound to a single genre like his bullheaded brother, and he actually enjoyed some of the newer music that came out in the last few years. He glanced over at Gabriel before beginning to quietly sing along to the music, tapping his foot that wasn’t on the gas. After a moment, Gabriel lifted his head to gaze over at Sam, his eyes red and puffy but no longer leaking. Sam pretended not to notice, tapping his hands on the steering wheel now, too, and singing with a little bite more gumption. Halfway through the song, Gabriel reached to turn the radio up, adding his voice to the chorus in the car now. Sam couldn’t fight the grin that split his face.

If he took the long way to Gabriel’s house, nobody else needed to know that. When they finally got there, Gabriel was smiling again. He huffed as Sam parked on the side of his street, “Thank you, Sam.. I don’t know how to repay you..” Sam shrugged and smirked teasingly, “I mean, you’re literally paying me, so..” Gabriel laughed, the sound like glorious ringing in Sam’s ears. He rubbed his neck, and Sam swore he saw a blush creep up his cheeks, but it was too dark to be sure. “So, um..” Sam glanced to the house, turning to face Gabriel in his seat, “are you gonna be okay?”

“Yeah,” Gabriel chuckled softly, nodding, “I’ll be alright. I think I just need sleep now.” They sat in the car for another solid minute, just looking at each other. The cologne Gabriel had on was still slightly permeating the air, and Sam may have taken a few unnecessarily deep breaths. Finally, Gabriel sighed and turned to open the car door, “Good night, Samshine.. I’ll see you later.” Sam muttered a quiet “good night” in return, that particular nickname sending little waves of butterflies through his belly and chest.

When Sam made it home, Dean was still waiting up for him. He raised his eyebrows at the dopey look on his little brother’s face, “Okay.. I think we need to talk about this Uber guy.” Sam just hummed, waving his wrist lazily and moving past Dean to head upstairs. He yawned, “Tomorrow. Ask me again tomorrow.” 

* * *

 

After that, Sam only ever accepted Uber requests if they were from Gabriel. He just didn’t enjoy driving anyone else around anymore. It almost seemed like Gabriel was putting in Uber requests just to see Sam sometimes, too. Sometimes he’d just have Sam take him to the gas station down the street (easily within walking distance), he’d buy a shit ton of candy, and then immediately head back to his house. But he was still paying Sam and he was still giving those ridiculous tips.

Dean was relentless with the teasing ever since Sam explained to him what had been going on. Every time he left the house, Dean was wiggling his eyebrows and/or cat calling. It was kind of annoying, but Sam didn’t care too much. Today, Dean had insisted they get out and do something together, which ended up meaning hanging out at a local café.

They were seated in a booth by the window, listening to the quiet instrumental music playing. Dean had a miniature pie and a tall, black coffee, contradicting Sam’s veggie wrap and caramel latte. Dean had been adamant on driving Baby, and then also sitting by the window so he could keep an eye on her. Sam hadn’t argued because it wasn’t worth it, and besides, Dean’s expressions when he saw someone get a little too close were entertaining. “So,” Dean eventually spoke up, raising his eyebrows in rapid succession towards Sam, “when are you gonna ask Gabriel out? I kinda wanna meet the guy.”

“Dean,” Sam sighed in exasperation, sipping his drink, “I’m not. I told you, that’s weird, all I do is drive him around.” Dean threw a straw wrapper at him, “C’mon, you’ve been driving him around for two months, you don’t think it’d be alright to ask him to at least hang out?” Sam shook his head, ignoring him. Dean rolled his eyes, then whistled as he leaned to look at something out the window. “Heads up,” he chuckled in amusement, “I think this place is about to get a little louder. A gaggle of seven people all just got out of cars at the same time.”

Sam laughed lightly, “What, college kids?” Dean furrowed his brow as he was presumably watching them walk up to the door, “Actually, no. They all look totally different ages. Family gathering, maybe?” Sam just shrugged. The bell above the door chimed behind him and he heard plenty of foot steps and voices come through. Some were bickering, but their attention was turned to the coffee soon enough. One voice in particular stood out to Sam, and he straightened up to look just as someone plopped into the booth beside him.

“Heya, Samoose. I know we don’t do the hanging out thing, but you wouldn’t mind if I just kind of hid over here for a minute, would ya?” Gabriel pushed his hair back out of his face, appearing a little frazzled and distressed. Sam bit his lip to reign in his smile, glancing briefly to Dean as he answered, “No, of course not.” Dean just sat there, blinking rapidly and staring at Sam for an explanation. Gabriel seemed to notice him, then, “Oh, shit, sorry. I didn’t realize you were with someone, couldn’t see anything past your fat head.”

Dean laughed, slapping the table, “Don’t worry about it. Gabriel, I’m guessing?” Gabriel tipped his head, eyes comically wide, “Yeah.. How-?” Dean gestured to his brother, who was beet red and glaring as Dean wiggled his eyebrows, “Sam’s mentioned you a few times.” Gabriel glanced at Sam, then his eyes lit up, “Oh, you must be Dean!” He stretched his body over the table to shake Dean’s hand. The older Winchester looked entirely too smug for Sam’s taste. He shook himself, “What are you doing here, Gabe?”

Gabriel groaned as he glanced at the group of people he must have come in with, “Michael announced that he’s getting married.. so we’re having a family brunch, to talk about dumb things like center pieces and color themes.” Sam furrowed his brow, “Isn’t that something he’s supposed to do with his fiancé?” Gabriel gave him a look, “Michael is very controlling. And he’d much rather take our word over anyone else’s, even Naomi’s.” Sam just shook his head, picking at his wrap. After a moment, he gestured to the group of people who had taken up residence at a table on the other side of the café, “Who’s who?”

Gabriel wiggled around to look, leaning back into Sam’s space as he unabashedly pointed straight at them, “The one in the suit, with the egg head and sunken eyes, that’s Michael. He’s a tax accountant.” Dean made a gagging noise and Gabriel grinned, “Exactly. Then the one to his left, that’s Balthazar-“

“The car thief,” Sam clarified smugly. Gabriel rolled his eyes dramatically, “Yes, the car thief. And the one he’s currently making kissy faces at is Benny, his boyfriend.. who he stole the car to chase down for his number.” Dean and Sam both laughed, earning glances from some of the people at the table. Gabriel continued regardless, “The girls are Anna and Hannah. They’re twins, juniors in high school. Rafael is on the end there, he’s adopted. Balthazar is technically not legally adopted but we fostered him until he was eighteen, so as good as. He has the Novak name.”

“Wow,” Dean gave a low whistle, “big family.”

“We’re still waiting on two,” Gabriel shrugged, “Castiel and Lucifer.” Sam blanched, “Lucifer?” Gabriel picked at a bit of Sam’s veggie wrap, then made a face and put it back down slowly as if it offended him. He pushed the plate back to Sam’s side of the table, nodding, “Yeah. Our parents were religious freaks, once upon a time. Guess you haven’t noticed we’re all named after angels. They’re not so bad anymore since they got divorced.” He dusted his hands together, leaning his elbows on the table, “Michael and Lucifer are twins, too, but Luci is completely different, even though they look the same. He runs the Harley Davidson dealership two cities over, guy’s tatted and pierced to the freakin’ moon and back.”

“So, these are only your siblings? Your parents aren’t coming?” Sam raised an eyebrow. Gabriel pursed his lip and Sam was going to retract his question when the shorter man kind of laughed, “Well, Mom’s down in South America with her man whore and Dad never leaves his house except to go to work. So, no.” Dean gave Sam a look that clearly meant there needed to be a subject change. Sam subtly shrugged but was interrupted by the door bell again and then someone’s acidic, boisterous voice calling, “The cavalry has arrived!”

If Sam had to give that voice a color, it would be blood red, and thick like hot tar. It had Gabriel’s confident air, but darker and more chilling. Creepy. The guy it belonged to strode smugly over to the big table and sat right next to Michael. That was Lucifer, then. Another man had idled along behind him, looking around the café as if appreciating the décor and atmosphere. His eyes were like storm clouds and his hair was dark and mussed, curling at the back of his neck and around his ears. Sam glanced to his brother as he realized Dean was staring.

Gabriel seemed to notice, too, because he gave him a wicked grin and cleared his throat, leaning forward to speak more to Dean, “Ah, Castiel. Easy on the eyes, ain’t he? Cassie got the _whoooole_ package from Mom and Dad. Porcelain skin, chiseled jaw, wicked hair. Guy’s smart as hell, too. His sense of humor is pretty dry, and his social skills need a little work, but he’s still my favorite brother.”

As if sensing that they were talking about him, Castiel turned his piercing gaze to their table. Dean sucked in a breath so quick, Sam was surprised he didn’t pass out. Castiel glanced to the family gathering, then walked towards them instead. Gabriel jumped up and threw his arms around his brother, who returned his hug just as enthusiastically, “Gabriel. I’ve missed you.” His voice was like raking coals, and Sam had to snort to cover up his laugh as Dean slid farther down in his seat. He looked a little dizzy, actually.

Gabriel sat back down with Sam and Castiel hovered at the end of the table, “Who are your friends?” Gabriel blushed lightly, “Uh, they’re actually-“

“Dean,” Dean finally stood up, offering his hand to Castiel, a clear nervousness on his face, but his smile was friendly. Castiel seemed to just notice him, his face flushing a pretty pink color, taking his hand and giving it a firm shake, “Castiel.. nice to meet you..” Gabriel subtly wiggled his eyebrows at Sam out of the corner of his eye. Sam just snickered, then cleared his throat, “I’m Sam. I’m, uh.. Gabriel’s Uber driver.” Castiel looked quizzical, “You have a designated Uber driver?”

“Well, that’s a long story,” Gabriel laughed, “that’s not exactly it, but for lack of a better explanation, yeah.” Sam rolled his eyes, deciding to focus on his veggie wrap for a minute. Dean scooted over in his booth in a silent invitation for Castiel to sit, which he did after a moment’s hesitation. Gabriel cleared his throat, “Heard you recently shacked up with Luci.” Castiel had been slightly distracted by Dean _staring_ at him, but he nodded to his brother, “Yes. He was more open to the idea than I thought he would be. And.. it hasn’t been all that awful, actually.”

Gabriel laughed, reaching over to steal Dean’s half eaten, miniature pie. Normally, Sam would be worried for Gabriel’s life, but even though Dean obviously saw it happen, he ignored it in favor of boring holes into the side of Castiel’s head. “Figured he’d have driven you out the first week,” Gabriel teased, mouth full. Castiel snorted, rolling his eyes, “He mostly ignores me. Which I much prefer to the alternative.”

“Wait, you don’t live around here, then,” Dean seemed to finally catch up to the conversation. Castiel turned to face him, that same pink dusting his cheeks as he looked at Dean from under his eyelashes, “No.. I’m attending a University elsewhere.” Dean looked immensely disappointed and Sam was surprised he didn’t sink right through the booth and into the floor. Gabriel subtly nudged Sam, then suggested offhandedly as he ate at the mini pie, “You should come stay with me for your summer break, Cassie. It’s coming up soon, isn’t it?”

Both Dean and Castiel stared at him a moment, then Castiel nodded too eagerly, “Yes, it starts next month. I would love to come stay with you.” Gabriel wiggled his eyebrows, gesturing to Dean with his eyes, “Yeah, I’ll bet you would.” His brother looked down at the table and glared, puffing his cheeks out. Sam couldn’t help but think this was all a little ridiculous. He was pretty sure he’d just witnessed his brother fall in love at first sight, and now Gabriel was eating Dean’s pie, which the older Winchester should have been pissed about but was not because of the apparent, blue-eyed angel sitting next to him.

As Sam turned his head to Gabriel, he noticed Lucifer walking towards them. His eyes met Sam’s and he gave him a smirk that looked more like a sneer. Sam swallowed thickly, averting his eyes. Gabriel and Castiel looked up as their brother neared. “Hey, Gabe. Been too long. You don’t write anymore,” Lucifer’s tone was like sticky syrup, his hand settling itself on top of Gabriel’s head. “Well, I hope you’re not too offended because I don’t write to anyone anymore,” Gabriel smirked up at his older brother.

Lucifer laughed, a laugh that made Sam wildly uncomfortable, and Dean seemed to share the same sentiment if his shifting was any indication. Lucifer pet Gabriel’s hair with a weird sort of brotherly fondness, “I’ve noticed. You don’t participate in the family group chat.” That was clear sarcasm, and Gabriel, Castiel, and Lucifer all rolled their eyes. Castiel took out his phone as if thinking about it, “the only thing that chat is ever used for is bickering between Rafael and Michael. I don’t understand why they have to subject the rest of us to that.”

“They want witnesses,” Lucifer shrugged, seeming oddly normal for just a second, “in case one of them says something really fucked up, then they can point fingers at each other.” Gabriel scoffed, “define ‘really fucked up’ because I think some of their conversations are already in that category.”

“Lucifer,” Someone’s voice interrupted them. They all looked to see the party table staring at them, Michael standing but not moving. Lucifer pursed his lips, looking at Gabriel and Castiel, “Well, serious business to attend to, kiddies. Come on.” He let his hand slip from Gabriel’s head, then turned and left, clearly expecting them to follow. Castiel hesitated before getting up to do so without even a goodbye. Dean looked a little disappointed.

Gabriel took even longer to move, but he did, eventually. He shot Sam a small smile, then went and sat down between Castiel and Anna. When Dean was finally able to focus on other things again, he shook his head, “Wow.” Sam snorted, “What are you wowing, the size of the family, or Castiel?” Dean glared at him, but his embarrassed blush was satisfying to Sam, “Shut up, bitch. Don’t think I didn’t notice your googly heart eyes over Gabriel.”

Sam scoffed and shrugged, finishing off his latte with a soft utterance of, “Jerk.”


	3. Cheese, Cheese, and More Cheese

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, uh.. Happy Holidays, my fellow fans! I wasn't actually planning on posting this until around January or February because chapter 4 still isn't quite done yet... but I felt like it had been too long since I added to this and I'm still inspired to work on it. Super cute and fluffy chapter for your holiday spirit. I hope you guys have a great rest of the year, and happy New Year, too!

Dean had somehow managed to acquire Castiel’s phone number in the midst of the family leaving the café. He’d been texting the guy constantly for three days now, and Sam was just a little jealous. How unfair, Dean wouldn’t have even met him if it wasn’t for Sam! And sure, he could ask for Dean to get Gabriel’s number from Cas (as Dean had been fondly referring to him as), but that felt silly and embarrassing. However, just driving over to Gabe’s house unannounced also sounded weird. As a result, he was resigned to waiting for the next Uber request, as ridiculous as that was. It was the safest bet, in his opinion.

His opportunity came on a Friday afternoon, Gabriel’s destination being a Mom and Pop diner thirty minutes outside of their area. Sam was vaguely curious, but just slipped his shoes on and yelled something about being back later before heading out. It was the hottest it had been since he moved there, a toasty ninety-six degrees even though it was five in the afternoon. His hair was already sticking to his neck with sweat, and he was thankful he’d decided to wear basketball shorts that day.

Gabriel was standing at the end of his walkway as Sam pulled up, grinning as he hopped in the car and sighed gratefully at the air conditioning. “Hey, Sam-a-lam!” he greeted enthusiastically, as always. Sam was accustomed to the nicknames by now, “Hey, Gabe. Dinner date, or did you just get an itch for something different?” Gabriel had a strange, smug look on his face as he answered, “maybe both.” Sam just shook his head in amusement.

They joked about their brothers and the minor things they’d been up to since they last talked. Sam was starting to wonder what Gabriel did for a job, because he never mentioned working but somehow had wads of cash to throw out as gratuity. When they reached the diner, Sam didn’t think twice about Gabriel’s request for him to park around the side. He’d barely put the car in park when Gabriel leaned over and turned the car off before taking the keys out of the ignition and then swiftly getting out. Sam gaped, then scrambled out after him, “Hey! Gabe! Kinda need my keys!”

“Why?” Gabriel glanced back over his shoulder as he strode to the front entrance, twirling Sam’s keys around his index finger. He disappeared inside, and Sam cursed under his breath, shaking his head as he had no choice but to follow. The air conditioning on blast was a pleasant shock, especially as it breezed through his hair when he stepped under the vent. He spotted Gabriel sitting in a booth by the back wall, Sam’s keys set on the table in front of him. He was reading over the menu, probably pretending not to notice him.

Sam had to give him points for creativity, and the element of surprise. He huffed a laugh as he headed over and snatched his keys off the table. Gabriel just looked up at him, smiling so sweetly that Sam faltered in whatever snide, teasing comment he was going to make. “You may as well sit down,” Gabe gestured to the booth seat across from him, “you’re already here.” Sam took a moment as he realized… this was Gabriel’s plan all along. He had to laugh as he sat, “you could have just asked me to come inside.”

“Where’s the fun in that?” Gabriel raised an eyebrow at him, eyes glinting. A saucy looking waitress with obviously bleached hair and a smug grin approached their table. “Gabriel!” she leaned one arm on the table, the other on her hip, “long time, no see, Willy Wonka. What’s happenin’ over at the chocolate factory?”

“Business, as usual, Meg,” Gabriel leaned his elbows on the plastic surface and rested his chin on his hands as he batted his eyelashes up at her, “you wanna come over and ride my chocolate river? I’ll bring the fizzy lifting drinks.” Meg laughed and whacked his arm with the paper menu, “Scoundrel. You know I prefer sour to sweet.” She looked to Sam, then, gaze friendly and still teasing, “who might you be, Handsome?”

“This is my friend, Sam,” Gabriel beamed, sounding absolutely delighted to introduce him to someone else he knew. Sam gave her a bright smile, “Nice to meet you. Meg, was it?” She nodded, straightening up and pulling out her notepad and pen, “at your humble service. What can I get you gentlemen?” Sam looked briefly over the menu as Gabriel ordered wings in some kind of sweet and spicy sauce that sounded diabetic-coma-inducing. Sam settled on a cheeseburger because that was familiar territory. She also jotted down a couple other things, whispered something in Gabriel’s ear, and then sauntered away with their menus. Sam chuckled, “Do you know her from somewhere or do you just come here a lot?”

“She went to high school with Cassie and I,” Gabe explained, “We started coming here because of her. She dated him, once upon a time. Before he decided he was strictly into dick.” Sam snorted, blushing and shaking his head. He almost wanted to ask if _Gabriel_ was strictly into dick, but that might be a little personal, especially for a public place. He checked his phone just to see if Dean had texted but was unsurprised to see he didn’t. He was probably still gushing over Castiel, anyway.

Gabriel was tapping his feet and fingers to the music playing over the restaurant speakers, humming along quietly. Sam smiled at him, unbridled affection on his face. He blushed lightly as he created a new contact entry in his phonebook, adding Gabe’s nickname and a lollipop emoji because he was cheesy like that. Then he slid his phone smoothly over to Gabriel, who just blinked at it for a moment before grinning and entering his number into the provided space. He sent himself a text, so he could save Sam’s number, then handed his phone back.

“Now you don’t have to use Uber to contact me anymore,” Sam teased, “Just text me. I’ll make time for you.” Gabriel bit his lip, trying to keep his smile in check but it was proving more difficult than he wanted it to be. “Thanks, Samshine,” he mumbled, looking down at the table shyly. Sam puffed up at that nickname again, absolutely pleased with himself, which pulled a laugh from Gabe.

Meg brought them their drinks soon enough, assuring them that their food would follow in just a bit. Gabriel thanked her, and they exchanged cheek kisses, then he turned to Sam, “So, I’m a chatterbox. You know about all of my siblings by now. What about you? Is it just you and Dean?” Sam paused for a second, sipping on his lemon water (which Gabriel had groaned at). He wasn’t sure how much he wanted to share. Well, he wanted to share everything, but he wasn’t sure how much Gabe would be okay hearing. Finally, he set his cup down, “I actually have a half-brother, too. But we’ve never met him, only heard stories from Dad.”

Gabriel nodded, sitting with his hands folded neatly on the table, attention clearly only for Sam, in that moment. He didn’t look uncomfortable or judgmental, eyes soft and curious. Sam took a breath and pressed on, “Mom died in a house fire when I was six months old. Dean was only four, we barely remember her. But it.. kinda broke Dad, I think. As far as I remember, there was a lot of drinking and yelling, but I’m pretty sure Dean actually shielded me from.. other stuff that was going on.. Dean had a lot of bruises growing up..”

He glanced up from where his gaze had taken shelter on the plastic table. Gabriel still didn’t look anything but contemplative. No pity or sympathy, just an interested head tilt and a lot of questions swimming in his eyes. He didn’t pry, though, just eventually nodded and took a gulp of his drink, “Brothers are a pain in the ass, but they sure do care an awful lot.” Sam wasn’t really expecting that. He’d been more prepared for a comment along the lines of ‘we all have our demons’ or ‘I’m sorry you dealt with that’.

“Yeah,” he eventually agreed, swirling the lemon around in his water, “yeah, they do.” He couldn’t help the curious glance he gave Gabriel, thinking maybe he was going to elaborate on his own experience or something. At first, the shorter man just picked a straw wrapper into tiny pieces, but when he caught Sam’s eye, he smiled, “Cassie and Lucifer were.. sort of my buffers in school, I guess. I’ve never been more than average in anything, and I struggled really hard my junior and senior years. Not just with the academic shit, but with bullying, too. Luci was already graduated at the time, but he had a reputation around town, so he always made sure to drive me to and from school. And he went to my parent-teacher conferences instead of Mom and Dad.”

Gabe had to take a breath, as if talking about it was exhausting, “Castiel is.. for lack of a better word, a fucking genius. Kid’s two years younger than me but we graduated together. And I wasn’t even held back, which is completely because of him. The teachers used to get frustrated because I have a short attention span and I couldn’t stay focused on what the hell they were talking about. Cassie tutored me, and he made it easy for me to remember and learn things..”

Sam extended the same courtesy Gabriel had given him, full attention and only interest, no pity. They locked eyes as Gabe finished speaking, and Sam smiled, “You know, Lucifer kind of scares me. But he doesn’t sound so bad when you talk about him.” Gabriel rolled his eyes, “Yeah, I know. He’s creepy on purpose, he likes making people uncomfortable. But he’s harmless. They all are.”

Meg brought their food, then, stereotypical, red baskets lined with tissue paper and all. Sam marveled at the smell alone, and it must have shown on his face because Meg laughed, “Easy there, Tiger. It’s just a sandwich.” She winked as she also set down an impressive looking malt shake piled with strawberry and graham cracker chunks. Gabriel was staring at it like it came straight out of an issue of Victoria’s Secret, giving Meg the tightest waist hug as she patted his hair.

They were left to their own devices and Sam actually blushed at the noise Gabriel made as he slurped at the shake. “Dude, your heart rate must be like three thousand beats per second,” he teased, earning an eyebrow wiggled for his nerdy effort. “You callin’ me sweet, Sammich?” Gabriel batted his eyelashes, and Sam scoffed, “I’m calling you a miracle of science.” Gabe shrugged and ate a strawberry chunk off the top of the whipped cream, “Same difference.”

It went on like that for nearly two hours, Gabriel and Sam exchanging stories and jokes, and occasionally being joined by Meg. Eventually, she took their mess away and collected Gabriel’s card to pay. Sam had protested, but Gabe had vehemently waved off his offers to contribute. As they were leaving, Meg gave them both hugs, “Tell Clarence I said hi, okay?”

“Of course,” Gabriel promised her, then led the way back out to Sam’s car. Sam didn’t think twice about opening the passenger door for Gabriel, who blushed and grinned as he climbed in. “Who’s Clarence?” Sam asked as he joined him via the driver’s seat. Gabe chuckled, “Cassie. It’s her nickname for him.” Sam hummed and nodded, steering them back towards Gabriel’s house. About halfway there, Gabe was fidgeting and shifting in his seat. Sam glanced over at him, “What’s on your mind?”

Gabriel bit his lip, shrugging lightly, “Well.. I was just thinking, you know, you’ve been to my house so many times now and I don’t even know where you live..” The unspoken question was obvious to Sam, who had to control his grin so as not to seem too excited. He cleared his throat, “Would you like to see where I live?” Gabriel nodded eagerly, “if you don’t think that’s weird.”

“Not weird,” Sam shook his head, chuckling, “Overdue.” The grin Sam was blessed with was blinding, full of gums and teeth as Gabriel damn near _giggled_ in the seat next to him. The younger Winchester corrected his course and shot Dean a quick text that he was bringing Gabriel over. All he got back was a string of winking emojis that almost made him throw his phone at the windshield, fighting a blush.

 

* * *

 

They parked on the curb just after eight o’ clock, Sam making sure he had everything before getting out and leading Gabriel up the front steps. He was suddenly self-conscious about the condition the place was in, especially next to Gabriel’s quaint little house. Sam and Dean’s place was significantly smaller, shabbier, and older. Still, Gabe just looked excited as he waited for Sam to unlock the door. They headed inside, and Sam instructed him to take his shoes off, griping about Dean being paranoid about the carpet and their security deposit.

The older Winchester came down the stairs, wearing sweats with no shirt, hair wet like he’d just showered. “Hey, guys,” he waved as he passed them, shooting Sam a subtle wink and heading to get a beer from the fridge. Gabriel seemed unphased, “Hey, Deano. How ya been?”

“Can’t complain,” Dean shrugged, smiling as he popped the top off his bottle. Gabriel snickered, “I’d hope not. Cassie won’t shut the hell up about you.” Dean’s face turned a very dark shade of crimson, and Sam threw his head back as he laughed. Dean cleared his throat, “he talks about me..?”

“If I have to hear another fucking analogy about the green of your eyes, I’m gonna vomit,” Gabriel confirmed, hopping up to sit on one of the barstools in front of the counter. Dean blushed even darker, were that possible, and mumbled something under his breath as he shuffled off back to his room. Sam had his head in his hands, leaning against the counter and shaking with laughter. Gabriel patted his back, “Breathe, Samoose.”

“That was-“ Sam wheezed a breath, “Hilarious! His face was priceless!” Gabriel laughed lightly with him, “Well, I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself.” Sam had to take deep breaths to contain himself, until he could finally open his eyes enough to see again. Gabriel was watching him with great amusement, chewing his bottom lip. Sam’s focus was drawn to the action, pretty, pink, chapped lip being worried between sugar coated teeth that were surprisingly white. “Sam?” Gabriel mumbled softly, like praise to Sam’s ears. He blinked, flushing down his neck, “Huh?” Gabe chuckled lightly, fidgeting with his fingers and shifting off his bar stool to stand in front of the taller man, “I asked if I could see your room..”

He was really close. Like, really close. Sam could feel Gabe’s pant legs just barely brush his bare ankles, and if he leaned down just a little he could get a good sniff of his hair and an idea of what shampoo he used. Instead, he smiled widely and nodded, gesturing for Gabriel to follow him. “It’s pretty small,” he forewarned, pausing at the top of the stairs, “Don’t laugh, okay?” Gabe nodded and drew a cross over his heart, which Sam found adorable but didn’t comment on.

He’d hung all of his posters and photos the second night he’d been there, and it was very clear he was a nerd just by the décor and knickknacks he kept around. Gabriel noticed a lot of astrology and stargazing stuff, some random anatomy books, framed pictures of friends and family, and figurines of various things. It was indeed small, and rectangular, just wide enough for Sam to have his twin bed centered against the wall with a nightstand on one side and a dresser on the other. The nightstand had a small lamp from which most of the lighting came from. There didn’t seem to be a ceiling light. The other end of the room had a large papasan chair and a standing lamp with another nightstand and a tall, skinny bookshelf. It was probably a reading corner.

_What a nerd_ , Gabriel chuckled to himself, _how adorable_. “Hey,” Sam pouted at his chuckling, “you promised you wouldn’t laugh.” Gabriel turned and grinned at him, “I’m not laughing. I like it. It suits you.” Sam blushed, moving to sit on his bed. Gabe wandered around the room curiously, looking at things but not touching out of respect that they weren’t his. Eventually, he raised an eyebrow, “I find it hard to believe that bed even fits you, Samsquatch.”

“Um.. it doesn’t, really,” Sam admitted sheepishly, smiling and looking at Gabriel from under his eyelashes. The shorter man laughed, approaching Sam and biting his lip shyly, “So, no room for me, huh?” Sam sucked in a short breath, only hesitating a moment before grabbing Gabriel’s wrist and yanking him down with Sam as he lay back on the mattress. Gabriel yelped in surprise, then just laughed as Sam curled up almost completely around him, burying his nose in his hair. He cuddled into the embrace, wrapping his arms around Sam’s waist and nuzzling his chest, a bright smile on his face.

“You realize this means you’re out of a job, right?” Gabe eventually whispered into their shared space. Sam barely shifted, reaching to turn the lamp off and nose at Gabriel’s hairline, “That’s okay.. I like this better.”


End file.
